16
Aromatics from Alternative Sources by
Catalysis with Sulfated Zirconia and Related
Systems--Eltron Research
& Development Inc., 4600 Nautilus Court South, Boulder, CO
80301‑3241; 303‑530‑0263; www.eltronresearch.com
Dr. Dan Fraenkel,
Principal Investigator, electron@eltronresearch.com
Mr. James Steven Beck, Business Official,
contracts@eltronresearch.com
DOE Grant No. DE‑FG02‑07ER84771
Amount:
$750,000
The
production of high-volume chemicals from non-petroleum sources such as coal is
of great importance for a post-oil economy based on alternative and renewable
sources. In particular, there is the
need to produce high-volume chemicals as feedstocks
for various heavy industries. In turn,
the solution will require better catalytic industrial processes, especially
those based on solid acid catalysts. These processes includes the production of coal-derived
Fischer-Tropsch naphtha, a potential large-scale source for naphtha paraffins from which the whole array of industrially-important
high-volume aromatics could be produced.
This project will design and prepare improved solid acid metal oxides with
advanced properties, and test them as selective catalysts in
paraffin-to-aromatics and aromatic transformation reactions that are capable of
integration into future, coal-derived Fischer-Tropsch plants. Phase I designed, prepared, and characterized a
variety of strong acid and superacid solid catalysts,
and tested them in various catalytic reactions on a dedicated, fixed-bed microreactor designed and constructed for this project. The ability of some catalysts to effectively
and selectively convert C6+ linear paraffins to
aromatics and to transform basic aromatics to more valuable aromatics was
demonstrated. Phase II will further
improve the catalysts, optimize reaction conditions, and design continuous
bench-scale processes for aromatics production. Engineering modeling will be used to find the
best mode of operation and reactor type.
Commercial Applications and Other
Benefits as described by the awardee: The development of more efficient and
environmentally-friendly catalytic processes should speed the widespread use of
Fischer-Tropsch coal-to-liquid plants for the supply of naphtha feedstock for
aromatic hydrocarbons. In addition, the
penetration of this technology would help grow the nation’s economy and create
more jobs, especially in rural